Inflatable balloon assemblies are known to those skilled in the art. Thus, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,924,041 of Jackson et al. and 3,616,569 of Litt et al. disclose such devices. According to U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,148 of Cotey, the devices of the Jackson et al. and the Litt et al. patents " . . . under some filling conditions . . . tend to squeal which is objectionable" (see column 1). In column 3 Cotey further states " . . . the normal range of pressures that balloons are normally filled . . . is 16 to 60 lb/in.sup.2." It is difficult for a normal person to produce a pressure exceeding about 0.5 pounds per square inch using normal lung pressure.
The valve of the Cotey patent comprises an elongated generally tubular body member having an upper section and a lower section divided by a transverse interior wall, a radially outwardly directed frusto-conical flange diverging downward toward the lower edge of the lower section forming a seal with the bead at the mouth of the balloon, means defining at least one port communication with the lower section, and at least one opening in the side wall of the upper section. A valve produced in accordance with the Cotey patent is sold under the name of "QUALATEX" by the Pioneer Balloon Company of Wichita, Kans. However, notwithstanding the claims of the Cotey patent, this "QUALATEX" valve when used to fill a balloon with helium gas emits an annoying squeal which bears an amazing resemblance to a stuck pig. Furthermore, the "QUALATEX" valve cannot be used to inflate a balloon by mouth, is relatively heavy, weighing about 2.2 grams, and it is difficult to manually install a balloon onto this valve.
Another example of a prior art balloon valve is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,167,204 of Zeyra. The valve of this patent requires the insertion of a filler element to open and permit the flow of gas into the balloon. A valve made in accordance with the Zeyra patent is commercially available under the name of "E-Z SAFETY SEAL," and it is available from Creative Balloons, Inc. of Carmel Valley Village, Calif. These valves, however, cannot be inflated by mouth. Furthermore, a string is attached to an extended portion 9P of the Zeyra valve assembly by means of a metal staple 14 which, in addition to adding weight to the valve, presents a potential safety hazard to users since the crimped staple legs are exposed.
Yet another example of a prior or art balloon valve is presented in U.S. Pat. 4,292,999 of Szollmann. In column 1 of this patent, Szollmann notes that "It is known to tie off or simply knot the filling end of a balloon after the latter has been filled with air or gas. However, in such case it is possible only with difficulties to additionally replenish the air of a flaccid balloon or even to depressurize the balloon after use and refill . . . " Although the device of the Szollmann patent purports to solve these problems, it still requires a substantial amount of effort to fill a balloon with such device and thus cannot be readily used to fill a balloon by mouth. Furthermore, such device provides a relatively poor seal after the filling of the balloon. Thus, the device must be comprised of a cap 10 in order to effect " . . . portion 10 tightly sealing the upper end of tube 8" (see lines 61-62 of column 2).
In 1986, in Buchanan's U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,910, yet another device was described which attempted to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art balloon valves. At column 1 of this patent, the patentee disclosed that "A recurring problem with metalized and rubber toy balloons is one of providing such balloons with an inflatable valve adapted to expeditiously fill the balloon with an inert gas and to provide an efficient static seal . . . Conventional balloons are also prone to dislodgement after the balloon has been filled and the valve closed. The primary reason underlying the latter problem is that the conventional valve stem is normally pushed inwardly towards the outlet of the valve and the filling chamber of the balloon for closing purposes."
However, the device of the Buchanan patent suffers from its own unique disadvantages. In the first place, it is relatively complicated, requiring the presence of two slidably disposed molded parts. In the second place, the device of this patent must be mechanically or manually closed after a balloon is filled with fluid.
A valve made in accordance with the Buchanan patent is sold by M&D Balloons company of Brisbane, Calif. It is difficult to manually mount a balloon on such valve, and it is virtually impossible for an average person to fill a balloon with such valve by mouth.
Each of the devices of the aforementioned patents is comprised of a circular valve head. It is difficult to install the neck portion of a balloon over such a circular valve head.
To the best of applicant's knowledge, information, and belief, there is no balloon assembly, or balloon valve, provided by the prior art which enables a user to readily fill a balloon by mouth, which does not squeal during the filling process, which automatically provides a good static seal during and after such filling, which can readily be refilled, which is safe to use, and which is relatively simple in construction, lightweight and inexpensive to produce.
It is an object of this invention to provide a balloon valve which can be used to easily and readily fill a balloon without causing squealing during the filling process.
It is another object of this invention to provide a balloon valve which is relatively lightweight and readily enables the mounting of a balloon onto it.
It is another object of this invention to provide a balloon assembly which, after being filled with fluid, will automatically seal after the inflation pressure has been removed and will provide a good static seal, even when such balloon assembly is filled with helium.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a balloon valve assembly which can be used comfortably when filling a balloon by mouth as well as by various gas filling nozzles in common use.
It is another object of this invention to provide a balloon assembly which, after having been filled and sealed, can readily be either refilled after partial deflation and/or rapidly deflated manually.
It is another object of this invention to provide a balloon assembly which is relatively inexpensive, and easy to use.
It is another object of this invention to provide a balloon assembly comprised of a balloon pump, a balloon valve, and a balloon.
It is another object of this invention to provide a balloon inflation assembly comprised of an inelastic flexible bag, two balloon valves, and a balloon.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a balloon assembly comprised of a balloon valve, a balloon, and a means for tethering such balloon.